Hello Blog!

Arcsecond Blog is the place to visit to know more about the only complete platform for astronomical observations. But it’s even more than that. In addition to tutorials, as well as tips & tricks about Arcsecond platform, I will also share the funny and interesting stories I experienced when observing at large telescopes around the world.

I (Cédric, Arcsecond Founder) had the chance to spent a year of nights in the La Silla Observatory in Chile, in addition to the observing runs I made in various other telescopes for my Ph.D. These stories, that I told people many times over the years, need to be written!

To start with, could you have a look at the picture below. I took it while in La Silla, during one quiet night. I didn’t plan to switch on the car’s lights, which is totally forbidden (to avoid any light pollution). The result is pretty cool, isn’t it?

Can you tell from the picture whether this is a Moon rise, or a Moon set? Take your time, I’ll wait.

Did you get it? Of course, if you know the place, it’s obvious. The telescope at the font, is the Danish telescope, while the big one on the back (with a smaller one attached to its left side) is the famous “3.6m” (where Swiss astronomers continue to monitor and search for exoplanets with an exquisite instrument). To the rightmost part, is the decomissionned SEST submillimeter telescope.

If you look carefully, you notice star trails are slightly elongated. The exposure time of the photo was about 30 seconds. Look close, and you will see that the elongation is not oriented all the same way. On the right hand side of the picture, they look shorter and more vertical.

It’s because they are close to the pole. If you have the pole on the upper right, and you know we are on the southern hemispherem then it is a Moon rise. To the East, towards Argentinian Andes.

Observational astronomy is all about… observing carefully. And I hope this blog will help you develop your curiosity for the night sky.

Clear skies!